This Invention relates to a sawdust-based cultivation of Shiitake, and more particularly, to a method of sawdust-based cultivating Shiitake mushroom (Cortinellus Shiitake) for continuously growing Shiitake mushrooms having a high quality.
In a sawdust-based cultivation of Shiitake mushroom (Cortinellus Shiitake), fruiting of a brown tonica on a mycelial tunicat of a cultivation bed and that of a primordium are indispensable.
There are three methods for selecting the time for carrying out fruiting of a tonica and of a primordium in the controlled cultivation of Shiitake mushrooms.
The first method is that fruiting of a tonica and of a primordium is carried out in a sawdust-based substrate in a culture container at a temperature zone around 20 degree. C., a culture step is over when the primordium increases in a considerable number which is within about 3 or 4 months, and the sawdust-based substrate is taken out of the culture container and exposed to air in order to lower the temperature into the zone between 10 degree C. and 16 degree C., thus giving a low temperature excitement to shift into a growing step.
According to this method, a primordium begins to be activated by the low temperature excitement, which has sprouted a first mushroom after 3 or 4 days, grown for 7 and 17 days, and mushroom fruiting bodies are harvested.
In most cases, a growth on and after the second mushroom fruiting is induced by a submersion excitement
A general tendency of number and yield of the mushrooms grown by the first to fourth methods, using xe2x80x9cHokken No.600xe2x80x9d (Improvement Registration No. 1791) for a sawdust-based substrate, are shown in the following table.
As shown in the specification of Patent Publication No.99726/1981 (not-examined), the second method is that a sawdust-based substrate is taken out of a culture container at an early stage of a culture step, a plurality of the sawdust-based substrates are disposed on a plane, keeping in touch with each other, and they are cultivated for 2.5-3 months under a temperature zone between 15 degree C. and 20 degree C. and under water sprinkling.
subsequently, the sawdust-based substrates are taken out of the plane at an early stage of the culture and are exposed to air in order to promote reproduction of the sawdust-based substrates and the reproduced neighboring sawdust-based substrates are brought into contact with each other in 10-15 days.
A brown tonica is gradually formed on a surface of the sawdust-based substrate which is exposed to air.
An excitement is given to the sawdust-based substrates at a temperature zone between 15 degree C. and 25 degree C. at a final stage of cultivation in order to promote growing of Shiitake mushrooms.
As shown in the specification of Patent Publication No.46167/1990 (not-examined), the third method in characterized in that a sawdust-based substrate taken out of a culture container is cultivated in a closed space at a temperature zone between 15 degree C. and 28 degree C. under saturated or almost saturated state of humidity to form a mycelical tunicat of a cultivation bed, and subsequently cultivation is carried out while sprinkling water on the saw-dust-based substrate to form a hardened and brown mycelial tunicat of a cultivation bed.
According to a method described in the specification of Patent Publication No.17636/1996 (not-examined), water-sprinkling is carried out continuously for a period between 1 week and 1 month to form a brown tonica more than 95% on an outer layer of a sawdust-based substrate which is maintained for 1 or 2 months at a temperature zone between 18 degree C. and 28 degree C. with water being sprinkled moderately.
There are many drawbacks to the prior methods of cultivating a sawdust-based substrate including Shiitake mushroom (Cortinellus Shiitake) for continuous growing of Shiitake mushrooms.
In the aforementioned second and third methods, the sawdust-based substrate having still a white surface in taken out of the culture container at an early stage of a culture step, and subjected to cultivation, while exposing the sawdust-based substrate to air, thus promoting formation of a brown mycelial tunicat of a cultivation bed and also formation of substrate.
According to the prior method wherein cultivation is continued, while a surface of a substrate being exposed to air, a brown layer is formed at a saturated temperature by sprinkling much water, but formation is very slow so that a cultivation period after taking out the substrate out of a culture container to shift into a growing step is extended, thus increasing great expenses and labor to maintain a special environmental condition.
In addition, a substrate is formed slowly and little by little by these methods so that there is a tendency that a mushroom sprouts sporadically for a long time so that a total cultivation time is extended for about 11 or 12 months.
As described in the foregoing paragraph, one of the biggest drawbacks to the prior methods is that mushrooms grow into inexpensive small ones which are closely located to come into contact with each other and are likely deformed.
A primary object of this invention is to provide an improved method of cultivating fungi including Shiitake mushroom (Cortinellus Shiitake) for continuous growing of mushrooms having a high quality.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method of cultivating fungi including Shiitake mushroom (Cortinellus Shiitake) whereby a number of Shiitake spawn are cultured in a culture container, and subsequently the temperature is temporarily elevated into a desired zone in order to decrease the number of Shiitake spawn in a breeding step of the mushroom to a growing step and also to adjust the sprouted Shiitake spawn.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method of cultivating fungi including Shiitake mushroom (Cortinellus Shiitake) whereby a number of the Shiitake substrates can be surely decreased by maintaining a temperature zone between 25 degree C. and 35 degree C. for more than 3 days.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method of cultivating fungi including Shiitake mush-room (Cortinellus Shiitake) whereby a brown spawn layer is formed on a surface of the substrate to finish cultivation in a short period of 3-4 months.
Another object of thin invention is to provide a method of cultivating fungi including Shiitake mushroom (Cortinellus Shiitake) whereby a temperature control of cultivating fungi and growing of mushroom can be carried out efficiently in a short period of time.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method of cultivating fungi including Shiitake mushroom (Cortinellus Shiitake) whereby a space wide enough for growing Shiitake mushrooms can be provided between the Shiitake mushrooms and an inner wall of a culture container.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method of cultivating fungi including Shiitake mushroom (Cortinellus Shiitake) whereby water sprinkling can be easily carried out immediately after a substrate is taken out of a culture container.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method of cultivating fungi including Shiitake (Cortinellus Shiitake) whereby water sprinkling can be carried out intermittently.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a method of cultivating fungi including Shiitake mushroom (Cortinellus Shiitake) whereby a temperature can be controlled within a zone between 20 degree C. and 40 degree C. in order to maintain an average temperature into a zone between 25 degree C. and 35 degree C.